Eros Vs Philia
by DeathandJunkfood
Summary: Dating was supposed to be the easy part. They were in love, and James was allowed to use Lily's quills without asking permission. How hard could dating be? As it turns out, more difficult than expected. There are awkward silences and weird eye contact and general uncomfortableness. Or - a short foray into James and Lily's first date. Part of the Falling 'verse.


_**A.N. Ostensibly, this was supposed to be James and Lily's first date. And then it just sort of ... devolved into snogging. It happens to the best of us. Oh and the title is taken from two of the four Ancient Greek words for love. 'Philia', brotherly or platonic love, and 'Eros' erotic love. But according to Plato, you don't have to feel physical attraction to experience Eros. Basically he thought Eros would help the soul remember beauty in its true form. Idk. Plato was a weird dude.  
**_

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 _ **Disclaimer... these characters belong to JKR.  
**_

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Dating at Hogwarts was hard. In terms of locations, there was the Three Broomsticks, which was homey and comfortable, and filled with rowdy third years, there was Madam Puddifoot's, which was… pink, and there was the Hog's Head which was mostly used by students sneaking around behind their girlfriend or boyfriend's back.

And, Lily thought, sighing, first dates were awkward enough without a horde of excitable third years ogling you.

"Er," James said, eloquently, and they paused at the entrance to the village. Lily waited.

"Where d'you want to go?"

It was an unseasonably chilly spring day, and Lily shivered. Almost automatically, James' arm wrapped round her and she leaned into him.

That part at least, wasn't a problem. They'd known each other since they were eleven and had been friends for the last three years, so they were comfortable with one another physically. Talking was the problem.

Transitioning from friendship to romance was more complicated than Lily had expected. There were awkward silences when there had been none before, and neither of them quite knew how to talk to each other anymore.

"Um," Lily coughed, realizing that she probably ought to answer. "Three Broomsticks?"

"Sure," James said easily, and they set off, Lily's arm tucked through his.

And that was that.

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After butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks, during which a lot of time was spent avoiding each other's gaze and awkwardly knocking knees under the small table while Rosmerta the bartender watched them avidly, they found themselves at the beginning of the narrow trail that led round the rocky up-thrusts of rocks at the edge of the village.

"We should probably talk," Lily sighed, lowering herself to the cold ground and offering James her hand. He sank down beside her.

"This is rather awkward, isn't it?" James asked, grinning a little bit.

Lily smacked his shoulder automatically.

"A bit," she admitted. "But, it's a learning curve, I guess. We'll figure it out, yeah?"

"Yeah," he said, sounding peaceful.

She tilted her head till it rested on his shoulder and stared up at the sky. It was cold and blue, and it looked like a pane of frosted glass. Lily almost felt like she could float up into it, were it not for the solid warmth of James by her side.

"I miss being your friend," Lily said, thoughtlessly, and her head slipped as James pulled away.

"What?"

"I just – things were different when we were friends. When we were just friends."

"D'you want to go back to that?" James asked slowly, looking hurt, and Lily shook her head vehemently.

"No, definitely not. But – let's be friends again. Instead of just seeing each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, let's make sure think of each other as friends too."

"That seems reasonable," James said, letting her put her head back. A chill breeze swept over them, darting through gaps in their clothing and washing over exposed skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

"I love you," he added hastily.

"Moving a bit fast for the first date, aren't you Potter?" Lily said, smiling.

"Shut up – you said it first."

"And I mean it."

"I do too, y'know."

They were both quiet for a moment. Lily, her chest full of fears, exhaled slowly. She hoped the wind would pluck her worries off the mountain side and send them flying all the way to the Great Lake, leaving her lighter.

Then she decided that worrying about worries was not a conducive atmosphere for romance and abandoned comfortable silence in favour of snogging.

Lily leaned in, trailing her fingers feather-light up James' arm and traced the curve of his jaw. She watched in delight as goosebumps rose in the wake of her fingers. They were so close that they could feel each other's breath, cutting the icy air for a moment and creating a warm tropical microclimate.

James was the one who eliminated the negative space between them, pulling her down until their mouths brushed once, lightly and gently before coming back together harder.

Lily let out a gasp that was muffled by James' lips as he lifted the edge of her jumper slightly to rest cold hands at her waist. Retaliating, she took her lower lip between her teeth for a moment, before tracing the seam of his mouth with her tongue, mapping the edges and shape of it.

Any finesse went the way of Lily's worries when Lily tangled her fingers in his hair, tugging slightly and their mouths crashed back together, deliberate and messy and boiling.

Lily's half formed thoughts about _technique_ and _experience_ were promptly ignored.

They were pressed together as closely as possible – James leaning back against a convenient boulder, one hand at Lily's waist and one halfway up the back of her jumper, tracing the curvature of her spine. It was like a bridge, he thought lazily, feeling the bumps of her vertebrae. A graceful suspension bridge leading everywhere worth being.

Lily was straddling his lap, hands still tangled in his hair, and James was tall enough that she didn't have to bend over his face.

"Oh," Lily murmured as he pulled away, trailing kisses down her jaw and neck. She could've sworn her skin was glowing in his wake. She shifted her hips slightly, eliciting a gasp from James, and smiled in a pleased manner, tipping her head to expose her collarbone.

He abandoned that to return to her lips, and she cradled his face in her hands, fears assuaged.

Maybe at the end of the day, they could just act like any other teenaged couple at Hogwarts, and that would be enough. Maybe.

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 _ **A.N. Thanks for reading! I know it was really short, but I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review?**_


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